Kingdom Hearts: The Hidden Light
by NobodyOfANobody
Summary: After Mikaila and Riku said goodbye to Sora, Kairi, Goofy, and Donald, their lives changed forever. With each passing day they get closer. Their hearts bond in a special way. Sequel to Kingdom Hearts: Hearts Will Blend
1. Chapter 1:The Beginning of a New Journey

Hour after hour of battling heartless. I was next to the person I loved most in the world, so nothing could hurt me. Nothing could damage my heart's feelings at that moment, except the thought of him being torn away from me.

Riku.

The heartless were all gone. For now anyway. I remembered about the paopu that I still had. I remembered what happened only hours ago. I was torn away from some of my best friends. But I still had him. I still had Riku. We sat down next to each other. I rested my head on his shoulder. I was tired.

"You know, I still have that paopu fruit, and I'm getting kinda hungry," I stated. We looked at each other, and we smiled.

"Can we share?" he asked. I looked away and blushed. He kissed my cheek. "You know, Mikaila, sometimes you're just so cute."

I giggled and got the paopu out. I took a bite from one end. He took a bite from the other without even hesitating.

We just shared a paopu fruit. I couldn't believe it.

Then we took a bite at the same time. I smiled weakly. Then Riku took a bite, then I took a bite. Then Riku, then me. It tasted so good! It was the best thing I've ever tasted! And I was sharing it with Riku. That made it even better. Then, it was gone. I actually shared a whole paopu fruit with Riku. This was a dream, right? I had to be dreaming. It was literally a dream come true. I know it's just superstition, but now our destinies are intertwined. We'll remain in each other's lives, no matter what. That's just the way I wanted it to be. I wouldn't have it any other way. Me and Riku. Together forever. We got up and started to walk again. Where we were walking, I don't know. Just walking aimlessly I guess. Three more giant heartless came. I groaned.

The heartless weren't very difficult to beat, but they were a hassle. First, we attacked the one in the middle, together. It was gone pretty quickly. It didn't even have a chance to use one of its larger attacks. Then I moved to the one to the left, and he moved to the one to the right. Then they weren't defeated quickly, so they used some big attacks. Mine stuck its hand into the ground, and a large hole of darkness appeared around it. I knew this attack well. Right now, the weak spot of the heartless was it's hand, so that's where I attacked. Of course, at that point, Riku finished his and came over to help me. I attacked it a little more, and Riku made the final blow. The heartless damaged my arm a little. I just remembered I ran out of potions.

"Damn," I muttered to myself. Riku gave me a potion. How come he never ran out of potions? Oh, that's right, he was holding them all. I used it and my arm healed. "Can I have some more? I just ran out."

"Okay," he said happily, giving me five more. Riku sat down, so I sat down, too. I rested my head on his shoulder again.

"I could spend the rest of my life right here with you. I love you so much, Riku," I said.

"You really do?"

"I really do." He stood up. He helped me up. Then he pulled me into a hug. He was squeezing me hard, but I liked it. I knew he wasn't trying to, he just kind of did. He wanted to hug me that much, I guess. I leaned a little bit into him. Our lips touched, then locked. I put my arms around his back. He put his arms around my back. I worshipped this moment. He didn't pull away. Neither did I. We just, well, kissed for a long time. I finally pulled apart. I needed a little air. I still stayed in his arms though. He pulled me into his chest. We hugged for the longest time.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you," I whispered back.

I truly loved him.

"Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm tired."

"Here," he said, lying down on the ground, "you can lay on my stomach, like a pillow, if it helps you rest a little." I smiled. He was so sweet. I sat down and layed back on his stomach. He smiled and ran his fingers through my hair.

"When you walk away, you don't hear me say, "Please, oh baby, don't go." Simple and clean is that way that you're making me feel tonight. It's hard to let it go. Hold me. Whatever lies beyond this morning is a little later on. Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all. Nothing's like before," I sang. I sang and sang. It seemed to help him go to sleep. It helped me go to sleep. He closed his eyes.

"Good night, my sweet Hikari," I whispered. I fell asleep.

This was the beginning of a long journey.

Just the two of us.

That's the only way I wanted it.

I got my wish.


	2. Chapter 2: Dancing in the Rain

I woke up to the feeling of something cold plop against my skin. It felt like... it couldn't be... rain? I opened my eyes. It was drizzling out. I sat up and looked at Riku, still sound asleep. I smiled.

"Riku," I whispered nudging him, "Riku, wake up." Riku's eyes slowly opened. He sat up.

"Good morning," he said, smiling sleepily.

"Look," I said, pointing to the sky. The sky seemed to go on forever. The litttle droplets splashed against the black rock.

"Rain?" He asked. I nodded.

"Rain." I stood up and soaked it in. The droplets seemed to get thicker with every passing minute. Then more droplets fell. I danced in the rain. It was so much fun. I felt so free. So alive. So real. Who knew rain could do something like that to you? I never really appreciated it before, but now, I welcomed it into my arms. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around.

"May I have this dance?" Riku asked. I laughed.

"Sure!" I answered. He grabbed my hands and lifted them. I didn't really know how to dance, I just followed his moves. We ran around on the rock, hands in each other's. It wasn't really running, it was more of a swift, fast motion. We spun around in circles. I smiled and laughed. We stopped dancing and stood there, catching our breath. I looked up, and it stopped raining. The sky was still black. It made me a little nervous, but I knew it would be all right, so long as Riku was by my side. So long as we were together, everything would be all right.

"Mikaila?" Riku asked.

"Yeah?"

"Promise me that we'll always be together like this. Always having fun, and always loving each other." I smiled at him. How could I notpromise that?

"I promise, Riku."

"Thanks," he told me, "Now, we have to get moving. We have to find a portal or something and get out. We can't just stay here forever." I nodded. We walked on. Slowly, but we were still going. Heartless after heartless appeared. We fought each and every one until they were gone. Each and every one. We were silent most of the way; we didn't have much to say.

Then there was a big one. And when I say big, I mean big. Triple the size of the last three big ones we fought. One swipe and I fell. I used my last potion to cure myself. I used magic mostly on this one, while Riku fought more up close. Like usual, we each had a position to attack. Mine was more upper body and head, while his was more lower body and feet. We attacked like this for about 20 minutes, and our tactics seemed to be useless. I was feeling weak.

"Riku," I whimpered. He looked at me. I fell to the ground. His eyes widened, and he ran over to me. The heartless swiped after him. He kept coming to me, not even bothering with the large heartless. He kneeled down next to me.

"Mikaila, what is it?" he asked.

"I, I feel... weak," I mumbled. My vision got a little bit blurrier, but I could still see pretty clearly. The heartless inched closer with every second.

"Oh, Mikaila," he whispered.

"Do you have any potions?" I asked. The heartless's footsteps grew louder. Riku shook his head.

"I ran out a while ago," he said quietly. The heartless's hand was inches away from Riku's head. It smacked him, and he flew across the rock floor about 7 feet.

"Riku!" I yelled. I didn't know what to do. My legs were too weak to walk. I tried to crawl, but all I could manage was to drag my legs along. I was next to him again. He could barely move. Sweat was dripping from his forehead.

"Mikaila," he whispered so quietly that I could barely hear him.

"Oh, Riku," I whispered back. I took his hand. The heartless tried to smack us one more time. I held on to Riku's hand, waiting for the attack. It swiped, and that was all I remembered of it.

Next thing I know, I was floating in gray. I couldn't even feel myself floating.


	3. Chapter 3: Voices

I looked around. I didn't see anyone anywhere. I was just floating is gray.

"You've been sleeping," a deep voice said. My eyes widened. I realized I could move. I sprouted up.

"Wha-"

"Funny. That was his reaction, too," the voice said.

"What is going on?" I growled.

"You've been sleeping. Here, between light and dark."

"What? I thought..." I paused, "Wait a minute! Where's Riku? We were together and we closed the door, right? Then there was a big heartless, right?" I questioned.

"Riku is fine," the voice said. I felt relieved.

"But why am I here?"

"You didn't have the power to prevail over darkness. No, you should have embraced the darkness."

"You make me sound almost dark!" I said, slightly laughing.

"You didn't care for darkness in the slightest bit, but your body was in a realm full of nothing but it. In fact, your, as you call, one true love is pure darkness himself."

"What? You don't make any sense!" I yelled. The voice laughed.

"Here, blanketed by darkness, sleep is safety. Sleep is eternal." My jaw dropped. What was he trying to say?

"Are you telling me to sleep here for the rest of my life? Ha! This is a dream. This is just crazy!" Then a light appeared in front of my face. It floated in a circle around me.

"This is the door to truth. Take it, and your sleep ends. Take it, and it's one step closer towards the truth. But know this, once you take that step, the truth could bring pain and suffering, or it could bring happiness and joy. Will you still go? Then again, sleep is safety. Sleep with more than likely bring you happiness. There can be no returning to the sweet security of sleep if you take this path."

The light was now a card, floating in front of my face. I thought about it. Should I take it? Did I want to really know the truth? Then I though of Riku. What was Riku doing right now? Was he given this choice? What did he do? I stayed strong. I was willing to accept pain. Sleep would get me no where. If I just slept, I would never see Riku again. I wouldn't accept that.

I grabbed the card.

"Just as I expected from you. Just like him," the voice said. Just like who? Riku? Yes, that had to be it. Riku made the same choice I did. I smiled.

A light came from the card. It shone in my eyes. It spread everywhere. Then I opened my eyes again. I was in another place. A white room. I looked around. I saw a yellow door. It was the only thing in here. I looked at the card, then back at the door. I gulped. I walked up to the door and tried to turn the handle. It wouldn't open. It need some kind of key. I took out my keyblade and tried to unlock it, but nothing happened. Then the card glowed in my hand. Was the card the key? I held it up to take a closer look at it, but there was a flash of light. Then I heard a click. I looked at the handle on the door. I opened the door.

What I saw suprised me.

"Is this..." I said, looking around at all the books and bookshelves.

"Yes," the voice said, "This is where you and Riku were first kept. Isn't it good to visit the places you once loved?"

"Who said I loved this place?" I muttered.

"You love this memory, don't you?" In seconds, I was in another place. I saw Riku and I talking. Of course, I looked stupid. Then the other me leaned into him.

This was when we first kissed.

I couldn't help but watch. Then I was taken from this memory to many others. Riku putting my keyblade necklace back on, saving me from the darkness. Seeing it clearly made me all warm inside. Then I saw memories that weren't my own. Riku's memories.


	4. Chapter 4: One of the Dark

I saw Riku talking to Ansem. Riku looked horrible. His hands were tied behind his back. So were his feet. His mouth had tape on it. I looked out in awe. I couldn't hear what they were saying. She heard the word "dark", and Riku turned black and green. A force sort-of, surrounded him. Then it went away just as quickly. He broke free from the ropes and tape. They started talking again. Then Riku got out his keyblade and lunged at Ansem.

"Oh, Riku..." I whispered.

Then I was in another one of Riku's memories. She saw Riku sitting in front of a hooded figure. He started to say something.

"The darkness brought you no fear. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness. Your heart will grow even stronger," the figure said. It continued. I plugged my ears. I couldn't hear any more. I just couldn't.

I was in the library. Then the voice from earlier spoke once more, "Did you see that Riku? That was the true Riku. You are not in love with the true Riku, but an illusion of what you think he is." I growled.

"You know what? This is really getting old!" I yelled. The voice sighed.

"When will you open your eyes? When you you grow up, and see what he truly is? We are just trying to help you, girl. He is one of the dark. He feels no love for you." I couldn't take this, even though I knew it wasn't true. I saw a door, ran to it, and opened it. I walked through it and closed it as quickly as I could. I looked around and saw a white room, similar to before I opened the room with the card as a key. Then I saw him.

Riku.

He was stand right there, talking to someone else.

Ansem.

"Riku!" I yelled. I don't know if that was very smart, but it was my reaction. Ansem shook his head.

"You truly are hopeless."

"What do you want from us?" I yelled.

"Oh, wait. Let me guess. You want to pull me back into the darkness, and play puppet master again, right? Is that it?" Riku yelled.

"Clever boy. You'll make a fine host. Don't you want that power again? The power you once had?" I summoned my keyblade and put it to his throat.

"Don't you dare touch him!" I yelled. He punched my in my stomach. I fell to my feet.

"Did you really think you could harm me? You thought a weakling that only rejects the darkness could harm me? You're even more hopeless than I thought, both of you. You can turn away, but you're deep within the darkness now. If you even bothered to notice, you are almost fully dark. The light you have at this moment is the only light you are ever going to have from this point on. The light gave up on Riku. No light can ever reach his darkness. You can turn away from it, sure. But it will engulf you sooner or later, and that is a fact." Riku was rushing to my side, when Ansem shot a giant blast of darkness toward him. I sprung up, ignoring my pain. He was giving into the darkness.

"Riku! No! C'mon, Riku. Not after all we've been through," I whispered to him.

"Submit to darkness and bow to me. Only darkness can help you now."

"You're wrong!" I heard a small voice say. Both Riku and I looked up, searching for the owner of the voice. Then a small ball of yellow light floated down.

"That voice..." Riku muttered, "Is that the king?!"

"You betcha! Riku, Mikaila, if you ever need me, I'm always here. Riku, the light will always be there for you. You'll always find it, even in the deepest darkness. But you have to open your eyes to see it!" The light went into Riku's chest. "Believe in the light, Riku!"

"I will," he said. I smiled at him. "I'm not giving into the darkness just yet."

"Ha! Clinging to words of sympathy? I'm starting to feel sorry you. Very well. These cards were crafted from your memory. Advance through the worlds they beget, and you'll come to understand. Chasing the light will not distance you from the dark. So why don't you just give up?" Ansem mocked. I shook my head. _Ansem, you're such an damn idiot, _I thought to myself.


	5. Chapter 5: Memories

Ansem threw the cards to us. A couple landed in his hand, a couple landed in mine.

"Fine. We'll enter these worlds. And if we haven't given up in the end, we win," Riku said, smiling devilishly. Ansem smiled back.

"Then I have one more gift for you before you leave," Ansem replied. I looked at Riku. A black light shone in his chest. He looked down at it. It looked a little strange.

"Wha.. what..." Riku stuttered. "What did you do?!"

"I tempered the darkness that remains in your heart."

"You think that I still rely on darkness?!" Riku yelled. I put a hand on his shoulder, as if it would calm him down.

"Whether or not you use it is your choice, but I'll be waiting, Riku. I'm waiting for you to come to your senses and yield to the darkness once more." With that, Ansem disappeared in a portal of black and purple. Riku was panting. Whether it was with anger, or if it was because of the sudden darkness, I don't know. I put my hands on his shoulders, and I stared into his eyes. His aqua eyes.

"Don't worry. We'll get through this." I don't exactly know what I meant by that, but the point was to comfort him. I think it did, because his panting lessened. He half-smiled at me.

"I need to find that key to always being upbeat..." he said. I laughed and took his hand.

"C'mon! Let's go!" I yelled. Riku walked beside me to the door.

"You want to go first?" Riku asked. I nodded and held up a card. The card lit up and flew out of my hand, and it went up into the air. My eyes followed it. Then there was a flash of light. I was in Neverland, still holding on to Riku's hand. I looked at my memories. Riku watched them, too. We were on the deck of a ship. A duplicate pair of us was standing in fronht of us on the ship. Then the duplicate pair of us fell through a trap door. _I remember this, _I thought. Then the world seemed to swirl, and we were in that dungeon, too. The other me looked around.

"Now, we find a way out. Look for a door!" she said. _We have to try to find a way out. We just have to. _I heard that. As if someone was thinking it. I was thinking it. The other me was thinking it. I turned to Riku.

"Did... did you head that?" I asked him. He nodded. But, if he heard that, then that means he could hear whatever I thought then! This was not good, not good at all. I was probably a total geek right then. This was when I figured out that I loved him. The other me and the other Riku started yelling at each other. Then the other Riku stopped yelling and nodded. I tried to listen to what he was saying.

"I promise. To prove it to you, I am going to give you something I found yesterday. I just couldn't find the right time," he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver key necklace. Like my keyblade. The necklace that I was still wearing now. I put my hand on the necklace around my neck. I smiled and looked at Riku. He blushed and looked away. He remembered this moment. I think he was a little bit embarassed about it. The other me hugged the other Riku.

_I... I think... I love... Do I? _I heard her thoughts. My thoughts. Riku heard them, too. I bit my lip and blushed. He kissed my cheek. It only made me blush even more. _But, wait... what if.. he doesn't like me like this? I don't know..._

The other me kissed the other Riku's cheek. My hand was still in the real Riku's hand. I smiled. He did, too. He knew what I was thinking at that moment. Then I thought some more. If we look through Riku's cards, will I hear what he was thinking? I hope so. But, then again, maybe I don't.


	6. Chapter 6: A Fight with the Dark

The other couple broke apart. A tear dripped down my cheek. That's what happened, and what I wished that day came true. I was with the one I loved. Of course, Maleficent had to ruin it all. They heard her voice. The other me looked at the other Riku. _Please, _she thought. Then the other Riku fell through a portal on the ground. The other me screamed at the top of her lungs. She screamed his name. She pleaded he would just come back. She fell through a portal, too.

Riku and I stood there, in that spot, in silence. I turned to him. He pulled me into a hug. I was pretty sure he needed to be comforted. After all, that was the first time we were in different worlds. It must have been hard for him, because it sure was hard for me. Maleficent didn't help at all, dangling his life in my face, forcing me to act as her puppet. Not fun. Not fun at all. Nothing happened. I stood in his arms. Just like the memory. It was exactly the same.

Maleficent even ruined it all.

"So, children, are you ready for the darkness yet?" I heard Maleficent's voice ask. I looked around. I didn't see her, but then again, this wasn't exactly real. I didn't know anymore. Real or not, she ruined a perfectly good moment.

"Maleficent," Riku mumbled.

"Who else but the someone you were longing to see? The someone that could give you a helping hand with true power?" She taunted.

"Shut the hell up, Maleficent!" I yelled in anger. I couldn't even see her, and she was already getting me mad. Just hearing her eerie voice ticked me off so much. She laughed and appeared in front of us, coming out of a green and black glowing subtance. A portal, of course. She shook her head.

"Poor, poor child. You fail to see what is right in front of you, and what isn't in front of you," she said, shaking her head.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Maleficent laughed again.

"That was only proof of my statement," she sneered. Riku looked like he had had just about enough.

"What is your problem, Maleficent? What do you want with us? Why us?" He yelled. Maleficent laughed once more.

"Why, child, you brought yourselves to me. I had nothing to do with it. You two were simply powerful, so I kept a grasp on you. Nothing more to it." I looked at Riku in despair. The worst part is, she was right. Not that we had any control over where we went at the time, but we still are the ones that went to her. Riku shook his head.

"We didn't bring ourselves to you. We had no idea where to go, and no idea where we were going! We had no idea what the hell was going on, and you took advantage of us! But the question is, why us? Was it only us that you had? Did you really have no one else to use?!" He yelled. Riku was really angry. The look on his face almost scared me. Maleficent stayed calm during this whole arguement! She showed no sign of emotion.

"None as powerful as the keyblade wielders, I suppose. But know this, both of you gave in to me at one point and that is your own fault. You came to me by choice," Maleficent explained, still calm.

"It because you dangled the life of the person that was most important to me in my face!" Riku screamed.

"Riku," I whispered. It got silent, but the tension in the air could still be felt.

"You simple fools. I was merely trying to help you in life. Darkness is your true power, the power you hunger for that will make you strong." She left without another word. She just faded into the air. She was gone, but the tension was still there. Riku had one arm around me. I don't know how that conversation made me feel.

"Riku?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Please don't get angry like that again."

He chuckled a little.

"I won't."


	7. Chapter 7: Riku's Turn

Then a white door appeared out of no where. I ran up to it, and Riku followed. I clutched the handle, but, then I has a headache. I couldn't see. I felt myself fall.

_

* * *

_

"Mikaila?" A voice called my name. Her voice sounded so sweet and innocent. It wasn't Kairi, but it kind of reminded me of her. The girl's voice sounded so sweet, especially compared to Maleficent's. Then her name hit me.

_"Na... Namine?" I called._

_"Yes," she answered._

_"How... how do I know you?" I asked. I suddenly saw myself. I had feeling. I stood up, and saw her. Her pale skin. Her blonde hair. Her white dress._

_"You... you don't. Sora... he..."_

_"Sora?"_

_"I'm sorry for what I did. Make sure he knows that."_

* * *

I opened my eyes. I was with Riku again.

"Riku... what happened?" I whispered.

"You just, well, fell. Now I'm talking to you."

"Namine, do you know her?" I asked.

"Who?"

"Never mind." I got back up. "Come on, let's go."

He opened the door and walked in. I followed.

We walked in a couple steps, then there was a strange taste in the air. I could barely taste it, but it appeared to be very strong to Riku. I looked at him.

"Something... tastes kind of funny... What is it? It's so familiar. That's right," he said.

"What?"

"The taste of darkness," he stated, "The taste of darkness... am I just a tool of the darkness?" I hugged him.

"Don't ever think you are! You're not, Riku! You're just not!" I told him.

"Don't you worry, Riku," Mickey's voice said. I looked around, and there was that floating ball of light again. It floated in front of us. I pulled out of the hug, then the light engulfed everything. Mickey was standing in front of me. My jaw dropped. Riku smiled, then looked in suprise.

"What happened to you? You're all... fuzzy." It was true. Mickey looked almost see-through, and as if you touched him, your hand would go right through him.

"I can only send a little bit of my power here. But, I have a request."

"A request?" Riku asked.

"Yes, Riku. Don't let go of yourself just because the darkness has a hold on you. Fight the darkness inside you. It won't be an easy battle, but don't forget: Even in the darkest darkness, there's always a little bit of light."

"Light within darkness?"

"I know you've seen it, Riku. The far-off welcoming light inside the door to darkness."

"I don't exactly remember, but I'll take your word for it."

Mickey laughed. "The light of Kingdom Hearts will show you the way. Please don't give up. Believe in the light. That's all I ask."

"Okay, I'll try."

"And I'll try to find a way to reach you. I'll come, I promise."

"And I'll always be here," I reminded him. He nodded. Mickey put his hand out, and Riku reached for it. Riku's hand just slipped right through Mickey's.

"You're an illusion."

"But we shook hands in our hearts." Then Mickey looked at both of us, "We're connected, the three of us."

"I guess so," Riku said, smiling. Mickey faded away.

"So... it's your turn, right Riku?" I asked. He nodded. We walked up to the door together, and he held up a card. That card had Neverland on it as well. There was a flash of light and he opened the door. We walked through together. Then we were in Neverland again, the exact same spot as last time, watching the exact same thing as last time. In the dungeon-like room. With the duplicate, younger couple of us.

"Now, we find a way out. Look for a door!" the other me said. _Maybe..._ the other Riku thought.

"I can't find anything. I'm going to use a portal to get out!" he said.

"No! Riku, don't!" the other me yelled. His hand fell to his side.

"There's no other way out."

"But Riku, you promised you wouldn't use darkness!" she yelled. _She's right. I can't disappoint her, I just can't, _he thought.

"Okay," he said.

"Just, promise me you will never use the darkness!" she yelled to him. He nodded. _That's it! Now's the time to do it! The perfect time! Maybe, just maybe, she'll like it enough to-_ he stopped thinking there. I smiled and held the real Riku's hand. He was blushing a lot. His cheeks were as red as an apple.

"I promise. To prove it to you, I have something to give you. I found it yesterday. I just couldn't find the right time," he reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace.


	8. Chapter 8: Useless Conversations

He put the necklace on her neck, and she pulled him into a hug. He was smiling, and he was hoping. He was hoping that she would like him the same way.

"Thank you, Riku," she told him.

She kissed his cheek. _I can't let her know... what if that was just a friend-like kiss? _He looked away so that she couldn't tell he was blushing, but she saw right through him. He could tell she could. He could just tell. _Damn it. Me and my stupid cheeks that turn scarlett red when I blush... _I laughed when the other Riku thought this.

"You're welcome," he said in return.

"Children, I found something that may interest you. Do you know a girl named Kairi?" Maleficent's voice echoed. A portal appeared. "I have found her. Come and see her."

The other Mikaila looked at the other Riku, and he shook his head. _She doesn't want me to, so I won't. I can't disappoint her._ I smiled and looked at the real Riku. He was blushing again.

"Oh? Not coming? I'll force you, then!"

A portal appeared under Mikaila's feet. She struggled, but it was no use. _No she can't! _He thought. _Mikaila! I... won't... do... this... _He tried to help her, but she just fell though. He sat there, alone.

There was a swirl of light around us. We were back on the deck of the ship. There was no one there.

"Enjoy visiting your memories?" a voice, who I recognized as Ansem's, asked.

"Show your face, you useless coward!" I yelled. Ansem laughed.

"Me? A useless coward? That's the pot calling the kettle black," he said, still laughing. He clearly got a kick out of my comment. Riku got angry again. He tried to hold back his anger.

"Don't talk to her like that!" he screamed. Ansem was still laughing.

"And, what are you going to do, little lovestruck teenager? Threaten me to death?" His laughter, faded, and I could tell he left. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Riku," I whispered, "You don't have to do this for me."

He shook his head. "He... just makes me so angry. I'll destroy anyone that hurts you. I will."

"Riku," I whispered again. This time I didn't know what to say. A white door appeared, and we silently walked over to it. He opened the door, and I followed. We ended up in another white room. I saw Namine again. She looked at me, and I looked at her. I nudged Riku, but when he turned to look, she was gone.

"What?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Nami- never mind."

"Hmph. Looks like no one's here," he mumbled. I felt really bad. I could still feel the bad energy coming from him. It was so bad, the air was uncomfortable.

"Riku, please don't be mad at him. I know you're trying, but please, just don't be mad. Please be happy, for me. I don't want you to be mad." I thought what I said was a mistake. I thought that he would get so mad, that he would yell at me to shut up. But he didn't. He smiled. I thought I could feel his mood lift. He turned around to look at me.

"I won't be mad anymore," he said, trying to sound as happy as possible. He smiled a big, toothy, fake smiled. I bursted out laughing, and he did, too.

"This is how I want it to be. Just you and me. Happy," I whispered to him. He kissed my cheek.

"Hikari, me too. I love you so much."

"So, how many cards do you have left?" I asked.

"Four."

"Funny, I have five." I looked at all the cards in my hand. One was Traverse Town, two were Hollow Bastion, one was The End of the World, and one, I didn't recognize. I looked at Riku's. He had Traverse Town, two Hollow Bastion, and The End of the World. He didn't have the one I didn't recognize.

"So, your turn, right?" Riku asked me.

"Right, my turn." I held up one of the Hollow Bastion cards. There was a flash of light, and the door unlocked. I pulled the door open.


	9. Chapter 9: Moments with Namine

The backround swirled again. Then another Riku and another me appeared. We were in the entrance to Hollow Bastion. This was the first time that we went to Hollow Bastion.

"What is this place?" the girl wondered aloud.

"Hollow Baston, my dear." Again, Maleficent's darn voice was so close by. Then Maleficent appeared behind her. She turned around. The other me just stared in shock.

"Maleficent?" she asked. The other Riku looked at her in confusion.

"Correct, child. And who might you be?" Maleficent asked.

"She's Mikaila. I'm Riku," the other Riku answered. The real Riku hit his forehead in shame of his younger self.

"You had no way of knowing," I whispered to him.

Everything swirled again. We were in the castle in Hollow Bastion. A heartless jumped on top of the other me. Maleficent held up her hand, commanding it to back off.

"Now, now. They are here to help us," she told the little black creature. The look on the fake Riku's face still showed confusion. Everything went all swirly again. Next, I was on one of the platforms in the entrance to Hollow Bastion. The other me saw Sora and ran over to him.

"Sora! Sora, what happened!?" she yelled.

"Riku. He was he-" Sora said, panting.

"Riku was here!?" she yelled. I looked at Riku. He hung his head in shame. I shook my head. Not in disgust, but as if telling him it wasn't his fault. It kind of was, but I didn't care.

_Oh, Riku. He did this to Sora. He... he couldn't have. Now, it's all the more important to find him. I have to find him. It's my priority to find him in this trip to Hollow Bastion. I will, no matter what happens. I'll do it, or die trying._

Then that was it. That world went by a little fast. We walked through a white door together.

"Mikaila, what you said, er, thought back there, did you really mean it?" Riku asked me. I laughed.

"Why wouldn't I? It's not like I knew that you were going to be hearing my thoughts, Riku."

He stared at me for a while. Then he pulled me into a hug.

"I... I'm so sorry," he whispered in my ear. I just hugged him back.

"Look, don't be sorry. What's done is done, there's nothing more to it. I appreciate this hug, though."

He smiled, and pulled me into a kiss. I enjoyed that kiss so much, you have no idea. You have no idea how much I wanted it right then, and how long I waited for it. We were kissing for a while. I pulled out of it.

"Right, so, your turn?" I whispered.

"Uh... yeah, right." Riku walked up to the door and looked at his cards. He chose a Hollow Bastion card, and held it up in the air. It floated out of his hand. I just watched in silence. I really didn't want to go on, but we had to. I was hit with princess code for the first time in a while.

_Day after day I must face a world of strangers  
Where I don't belong  
I'm not that strong  
It's nice to know that there's someone  
I can turn to  
Who will always care  
You're always there_

_When there's no getting over that rainbow  
When my smallest of dreams won't come true  
I can take all the madness the world has to give  
But I won't last a day without you_

"I won't last a day without you," I whispered to Riku. He smiled, and then he kissed my cheek. I blushed. Then I heard a voice behind me. A gentle voice that I recognized.

"Riku, Mikaila," the voice said. I turned around and saw Namine.

"Who..." Riku asked.

"Namine. Her name is Namine." I answered.

"Namine?" Namine nodded.

"Yes," she answered for herself. I looked at her in a strange way. What did she want, anyway? I looked at the door, then back at Namine, only to see she was gone. I looked at Riku. He just shrugged. We walked through the door together.

* * *

-Author's note- I am so, so, so, so sorry this took so long. I'm in another state for a vacation and had about zero time to finish this. And it's pretty short, too. The next one will be up waaaaay faster.


	10. Chapter 10: A Cloaked Enemy

This memory, I could really do without watching. I really didn't want to. I'm pretty positive Riku didn't want to either. Poor Riku, sitting through one of his worst memories. It was when Riku took Sora's keyblade. We just watched in silence. There was argueing. Riku had really good comebacks. Maleficent was putting useless nonsense in his head. Using him. Leaving Sora nearly hopeless. That damn Maleficent, making a fool out of Riku _and _Sora. I clenched my fists when I heard her talk to Riku again. Riku put his hand over it. I don't think he wanted me to get mad. I released the ball that my fingers were clenched up in. We didn't say a word to each other the entire time, nor did we look at each other. But the thing was, that he was thinking about me the whole time. He was only thinking about me. About what would be best to see me. That was all he wanted. I didn't know what to think.

Then we saw a Maleficent. She wasn't staring at the fake Riku. She wasn't staring at Beast or Sora either. No, she was staring right at us. Her dark eyes darted towards Riku. Her eyes darted towards me.

"Dear children, did you think you could escape your most hated memories? Your dreaded past? Your past is your future. Some say the past always repeats itself." I clenched my fists. "Ha! Don't even try. You should know I am a mere memory by now, Mikaila."

She just faded away.

A door appeared. We walked through it. Then we saw something unexpected. A man in a black coat.

"Riku and Mikaila, I presume?" he asked.

"Are you with Ansem?" Riku shouted.

"You are about half correct. Let's just say it's not the Ansem that you know. He is Ansem, and he is not Ansem.. which is to say he is nobody," the person said, laughing a bit.

"Riddles aren't exactly my thing. Try making some sense!" Riku shouted again.

"He belongs to neither the light nor the dark, but walks the twilight between." The cloaked person laughed, "Didn't you notice? That's right, you're still standing between light and darkness. We have much in common." I could tell he was aiming that last sentence more towards Riku.

"No! You have nothing in common!" I yelled. They both just looked at me.

"You're right. There's darkness inside of me. But, what of it? It's still my enemy!" Riku drew his keyblade. I followed his example. "You just make _everything _around here reek of the dark!"

"Oh, so enthusiastic!" the man said happily, "Very well! A fight you shall get!"

The man was first to strike. He went for me first, and he caught me by suprise. I tried to hit back, but missed by miles. His hit sliced open the pocket in my pants that held all of the cards. They all slipped out a hole created by this guy that I didn't even know! There was no time to gather them all now, he was still attacking me! Then he aimed more towards Riku, making his cards spill out of his clothes as well. We just stared at him. What was he trying to do? He picked up the two Hollow Bastion cards that we had left.

"Now, let me see here," he said, studying the cards. "No, this will just not work." He held the cards out and it seemed as though he just glided through us. He handed us the cards again, but they were no longer Hollow Bastion cards. They looked kind of like islands.

Destiny Islands.

"Now, where were we?" the man asked. "Oh, that's right. I was beat-" Riku lunged for the man, but he blocked by jumping out of the way. Then the guy lunged towards me and hit me so hard that I was thrown about 6 feet behind me into a wall. I felt all funny. Not in a good way though. I heard Riku's voice shout my name and felt something heal me. It was most likely a potion. Riku lunged for him again, but he blocked it with a big shield-looking thing. He laughed.

"The darkness coursing through you is a tremendous power, Riku. All you needed was the right provacation. Your fiery reaction provided just the data I needed. Same to you, Mikaila."

"What!?" Riku and I yelled together. Riku backed off.

"You have my thanks, the both of you!" the man yelled. Then he disappeared into a portal.

"What was that about? And, what did he mean when he said that we provided just the data he needed?" I asked. Riku just shrugged.

"Just about everything he said made no sense. The man seems confused. Either that, or he knows something that we don't. It doesn't matter though. It just means that we gotta watch our backs a little bit more, that's all," he replied, smiling. I smiled back.

"Who has the key to being optimistic now?" I asked playfully. He looked around.

"Who?" he asked. I laughed.

"Always with the jokes..."


	11. Chapter 11: Kidnapped Yet Again

"So... what are the cards that we have now?" Riku asked. I looked down in my hands. I had Traverse Town, Destiny Islands, End of the World, and that one that I didn't recognize. I looked in Riku's hands. He has Traverse Town, Destiny Islands, End of the World, and he got another card from that cloaked man. He got another that I didn't recognize, but they were two different cards. His looked like a tall, brown, tower. Mine looked like a blue sphere with green and white spots on it. I showed Riku all of the cards I had.

"What do you wanna do, Riku?" I asked. He studied the cards, and pointed to the Traverse Town card. I nodded and held it up. The same happened as before, and a door opened. I nudged Riku.

"What?"

"I don't want to go in right now."

"Why?" Riku looked confused. I rubbed my eyes.

"I'm a little... sleepy," I whispered. He laughed.

"Sleepy, huh? All right, we can sleep for an hour or two. I kind of am, too."

He sat down on the ground, his back up against the wall. I sat next to him and kissed him on the cheek, then rested my head on his shoulder.

The only thing I remember after that was me screaming, Riku holding my hands until I was pulled away from him, and being knocked out by a man with a black coat.

* * *

Riku sat with his head in his hands. He couldn't believe he let her slip through his grasp again. But she wouldn't be hurt. She wouldn't worry about it. Not this time. She'd be in his arms again soon enough. Soon enough.

I piece of paper appeared in front of him. He grabbed it.

_Riku,_

_If you wish to see Mikaila again, then follow these instructions. Join forces with the Organization. She will be yours once more if you do. But keep this in mind, the whole time she's here, she'll be tortured beyond any comparison. So, if you wish to save her, join us. We only hope that you'll make the right choice, for her sake, and yours._

* * *

I woke up sitting in a chair. I was tied to it, another girl sitting across from her, drawing in a sketch book.

"Namine?" Namine looked up at her. Her eyes widened and she looked back at her drawing. After that, she just dissolved into nothing. I was sitting there staring in awe. What the hell was going on? Then the man that attacked them before walked out of a portal in front of me.

"I need to know now! Who the hell are you!?" I yelled. He just laughed.

"Fierce little girl, aren't you? My name is Vexen," he said, sitting down in a chair beside me. "Now, be a good little girl and be quiet, won't you? Your voice really isn't the most pleasant sound to the ear."

This just ticked me off so much. I tried to break the rope with all my strength. I tried so hard, but they were so tight, and it cause my wrists so much pain. I screamed in agony and gave up. Another man in a black coat identical to Vexen's came through a potal then.

"So I see have have captured the bait. I'm Zexion." I glared at him. He glared, but with a smile, as if he was teasing me.

"What the hell do you want with me!?" I yelled. Zexion laughed. They both just thought I was a little girl who would never even attempt to hurt them when I had the chance. An innocent little girl who could talk, but who can't fight.

"Isn't it obvious? You are the bait. If this doesn't lure him, we'll make you scream so loud, that it can be heard throughout the castle."

"You... you can't just leave me here!"

"But why not? That is the plan of course."

author's note All right, I, again, am so sorry this took so long. Procrastination. So, so sorry! And the chapter is pretty darn short too... just, sorry!!


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